Yankees at Red Sox
Left-hander David Price has been virtually unhittable through his first two starts but he has been beat up routinely over the past two seasons by the New York Yankees. Price looks to continue his sizzling start to the season when the streaking Boston Red Sox go for their 10th consecutive victory against the visiting Yankees in the second of their three-game series on Wednesday night.
Price has received one run of support in 14 innings but he had to feel heartened by the offensive show put up by his teammates in a 14-1 demolition in the series opener. The top three batters in the lineup, Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and Hanley Ramirez, were a combined 8-for-9 with eight runs and nine RBIs as Boston ripped off its ninth straight win since dropping its season opener. The one bright spot in an otherwise dismal night for the Yankees was right fielder Aaron Judge, who collected three hits and homered after entering the game 3-for-36 with 14 strikeouts at Fenway Park. Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka will oppose Price for New York, which has lost four of its last five games and been tagged for 37 runs in that span.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, WPIX (New York), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (1-1, 2.92 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH David Price (1-0, 0.00)
Tanaka has split his first two decisions despite turning in a pair of quality starts, holding Toronto to one run on three hits over six innings before yielding three runs in 6 1/3 innings in his last start at Baltimore on Thursday. Tanaka is 7-4 with a 3.65 ERA lifetime against Boston but he has pitched superbly at Fenway Park, allowing six runs over 30 1/3 innings in his last four starts there. J.D. Martinez is 5-for-9 with two homers against him.
Limited to 11 starts in 2017, Price opened the season by blanking Tampa Bay on four hits over seven innings in his season debut before tossing seven scoreless frames of three-hit ball in a rematch with the Rays. Price was 1-4 with 32 runs allowed in his first six starts versus the Yankees since joining Boston before blanking them over eight innings last July. Didi Gregorius (12-for-27) and Gary Sanchez (5-for-11, 4 HRs) have tormented Price.
WALK-OFFS
1. Betts joined Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players with at least four hits, five runs and four RBIs against the Yankees.
2. Sanchez was hitless in four at-bats Tuesday to fall to 2-for-36 on the season.
3. Ramirez has hit safely in eight straight games and has 11 RBIs in his last six.